Southwest Airlines Partners With Sundance Film Festival To Support Storytellers And Creative Community

DALLAS, Jan. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) continues its partnership with the Sundance Institute and the renowned Sundance Film Festival as a means of supporting independent filmmakers and the creative community. This year's partnership focuses on filmmakers who are forging their own paths in the field of short films. The partnership also centers on the creation of video content that celebrates the magic of storytelling through a collaboration with Reaa Puri, celebrated filmmaker, alumna member of the Sundance Collective Artist Community, and co-founder of Breaktide Productions, an all women-of color owned film Production Company.

As the presenting sponsor of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival Short Film program, Southwest celebrates the 50 short films selected to premiere in the Festival and congratulates the filmmakers who have earned this prestigious honor.

"A good story holds immense power, and we're proud to support the creatives dedicated to the craft and art of storytelling," said Brandy King, Director of External Communication which includes Brand Partnerships and Entertainment Public Relations. "We're honored to, again, partner with the Sundance Institute to celebrate filmmakers at the absolute premier event in film, Sundance Film Festival."

"The Sundance Film Festival Short Film line-up showcases the amazing talent of the filmmakers, whose films span a range of topics," said Mike Plante, Senior Programmer, Short Film at Sundance. "We are grateful for our partnership with Southwest to support these creatives and continue our mission to build a community dedicated to independent storytelling." 

As a visual love letter to storytelling, Reaa Puri created a video for Southwest Airlines to give viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the creative process of filmmaking. This video will play in the virtual waiting rooms before film screenings on the Sundance Film Festival platform, be featured on the Festival Main Street, and be shared on Southwest's social channels in the coming days as the Festival kicks off.

"This piece is a letter of love and gratitude to storytelling, to a diverse community of storytellers, and to the artist and dreamer that lives inside us all," said Puri. "In my own work, I am learning that the creative process is sacred. It is to be cherished; it is to be celebrated and shared with community. I hope other artists view this piece as an affirmation to follow their wildest dreams and creative pursuits. Our stories hold immeasurable power and need telling. But beyond the final product, our intentional approach to the creative process is making way for a liberated, just, equitable, pleasurable, and compassionate world to be born."

Sundance fans and Festival attendees can experience the Music Speakeasy, Sound & Vision, presented by Southwest Airlines, which will take place Monday, Feb. 1 from 9:00 p.m.– 9:45 p.m. Central Time. This unconventional audio/visual experience will feature artists Bardo (Chicano Batman), Aliana Castillo, Ant Clemons, Blue DeTiger, Elissa Miekle, Enny, Frances Forever, Jensen McRae, Orion Sun, Tekno, Sofia Valdes and Viagra Boys, in an exclusive series of performances that will get everyone grooving from the comfort of their living rooms.

Southwest Customers can enjoy Sundance Film Festival content onboard through on-demand TV series channels on the Inflight Entertainment Portal. The Sundance Film Festival Shorts channel features short films from the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, and will include a selection of shorts from the 2021 Film Festival in the coming months. The Journey to Sundance channel follows emerging filmmaker, Bridget Moloney, as she premieres her short film, "Blocks," at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Following the Festival, Southwest will sponsor the Sundance Film Festival Shorts Film Tour, which will showcase select short films at venues across the country, public health permitting.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 50th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. continues to differentiate itself from other air carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by nearly 58,000 Employees to a Customer base that topped 130 million Passengers in 2019. Southwest has a robust network of point-to-point service with a strong presence across top leisure and business markets. In peak travel seasons during 2019, Southwest operated more than 4,000 weekday departures among a network of 101 destinations in the United States and 10 additional countries. In 2020, the carrier added service to Hilo, Hawaii; Cozumel, Mexico; Miami, Palm Springs, Calif., Steamboat Springs, and Montrose (Telluride), Colo. In 2021, Southwest will begin service to both Chicago (O'Hare) and Sarasota/Bradenton on Feb. 14; both Savannah/Hilton Head and Colorado Springs on March 11; both Houston (Bush) and Santa Barbara, Calif. on April 12; Fresno, Calif. on April 25; and Jackson, Miss., on June 6.

The carrier issued its Southwest^® Promise in May 2020 to highlight new and round-the-clock efforts to support its Customers and Employees well-being and comfort. Among the changes are enhanced cleaning efforts at airports and onboard aircraft, and face covering requirements for Customers and Employees. Additional details about the Southwest Promise are available at Southwest.com/Promise.  

Southwest coined Transfarency^® to describe its purposed philosophy of treating Customers honestly and fairly, and low fares actually staying low. Southwest is the only major U.S. airline to offer bags fly free^® to everyone (first and second checked pieces of luggage, size and weight limits apply, some carriers offer free checked bags on select routes or in qualified circumstances). Southwest does not charge change fees, though fare differences might apply. 

Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the carrier's performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the communities they serve, and an overall commitment to efficiency and the planet. Learn more about how the carrier gives back to communities across the world by visiting Southwest.com/citizenship. 

Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online at Southwest.com or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA. 

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.